GI JOE: CALL TO ACTION
by FireBuff51
Summary: A story detailing the formation of the G.I. JOE team. Episode 4: Duke and Scarlett interview the sole survivor of the COBRA attack in the Persian Gulf, meanwhile The Baroness voices her displeasure that COBRA is slowly being exposed.
1. Chapter 1

**G.I. JOE: CALL TO ACTION**

**EPISODE 1**

Former Soviet Republic of Kurvistan.

She strolled through the darkened streets, the heels of her thigh high boots clicking over the cobblestones.

She pulled the collar of her trench coat tighter as she stopped before the run down shop.

Two men stood before her on either side of the door, wearing crimson trench coats and fedoras.

" I have appointment.", the young woman spoke in a Russian accent.

" Gotta search ya, lady.", one of the men responded, his voice muffled.

" Make it quick.", she said, raising her arms." Do not take liberties."

The first man quickly patted her down as the other studied her. She wore thin framed spectacles and her head was covered in a purple kerchief.

" She's clean."

The second man opened the door for her and she stepped inside. Another man dressed much the same as the first two led her to a back room. He opened the door for her and she stepped inside. The door quickly slammed shut behind her.

A man sat at a wooden table flanked by several more men in crimson red coats and hats.

The man seated before her wore a silver mask that covered his entire head.

" Nadia, I presume.", he spoke in a deep voice.

" Yes. I am Nadia.", she replied, suddenly noticing a figure in the shadows to the left of the man. He too was wearing a mask. A ninja mask." And you are...? "

" My name is not important. I understand you have a business proposition that you wish to discuss with me."

" Yes."

" Do not keep me in suspense."

" My country is looking to outfit it's military. As you know, Russia has been making much noise as if to invade and retake our sovereign nation. We must be prepared to meet Russian aggression as soon as possible."

" What can you offer me? ", asked the man at the table.

The man in the ninja mask took a slight step forward as he glanced at the shadows above.

" Ten Million Dollars, U.S.. To start.", she continued.

The man in the silver mask folded his hands.

" How can your country come up with that kind of money? Since breaking from The Soviet Union, your country has well, shall we say..._not flourished_? "

The ninja continued to stare up into the shadowy rafters above. He then slowly brought his gaze down to her, locking eyes with her.

" Do...do not be concerned with where we find your payment.", she replied, feeling her heart race." Only care that you will be rewarded handsomely for coming to the aid of our country."

The ninja backed into the shadows while keeping his eyes on the woman.

" What sort of..._supplies_ would you require? ", asked the man at the table.

" Light ordinance, heavy artillery, vehicles.", she answered." The usual."

" I believe we can come to an agreement.", the man answered.

" Ah.", she smiled." Good. My country will be indebted to you. But...I must ask. Who may I tell my superiors I am striking such a momentous agreement with? "

" Very well.", the man responded in a deep Baritone." You may call me...Destro."

The ninja reached inside his tunic and began to draw a piece of metal that glinted in the light.

A figure dressed in all black, including a mask dropped from the shadows above, swinging a sword.

Destro stood and flipped the table as the ninja behind him leaped forward, he too swinging a sword. The men in crimson advanced, drawing their weapons.

The man in black and the ninja clashed swords, each swinging and jabbing at each other, only missing by inches.

" Kill them! ", Destro shouted.

As two guards advanced on the woman, she caught one in the jaw with a jumping roundhouse kick, knocking him into the other advancing men.

As soon as her feet hit the floor, she dropped into a crouch and took the legs out from the second attacker with a sweeping kick.

She stood, flipping aside her glasses and ripping off her kerchief to reveal a head of red hair, pulled back into a long ponytail.

" Snake-Eyes! ", she called in a southern American accent.

Snake-Eyes leaped in the air, avoiding the ninja's blade, landing on the edge of the overturned table. Without looking, he unstrapped an UZI sub machine gun from his thigh and flipped it backwards to her.

Scarlett caught it in mid air and in one movement fired upon the guards who fired back.

Destro dove through a window, disappearing into the night in a hail of broken glass.

" I knew we would meet again! ", the ninja shouted as he kicked Snake Eyes in the chest, sending him skidding across the floor.

Scarlet brought down three guards with the UZI, leaving two more, who continued to fire.

Bullets cracked the air as they zoomed past her head, lodging in the wall.

The door slammed open and three more guards entered.

She socked one in the jaw with a left hook, knocking him unconscious, while dodging a swing from a second. The third man in caught her in the jaw with a right hook and she fell to the floor, knocking the UZI from her hand.

She pulled a knife from one of her boots and flipped it an oncoming guard. It lodged in his shoulder and he stumbled backwards, screaming in pain.

" Snake-Eyes! This isn't good! ", she shouted, using another sweeping kick to knock a man off balance, catching his pistol as he fell." We can't keep this up forever! "

She fired, taking down two more guards while still on her back.

Snake-Eyes and the ninja that he knew as Stormshadow continued to clash swords. He thrusted high, then low, fending off each swing until they locked swords. With a quick turn, he knocked Stormshadow's sword from his hands.

Stormshadow flipped backwards in the air. His feet hit the wall which he used as as springboard to launch himself at Snake-Eyes.

As he flew through mid air, Snake-Eyes threw a smoke bomb at the floor, immediately filling the room with a cloud.

Stormshadow landed on the floor, missing his target. The smoke dissipated as he stood only to reveal that the door was open and his two opponents were gone.

A pile of Crimson Guard members lay defeated at his feet.

" Pathetic.", the ninja sneered at them.

XXXXXX

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Chapter 2

**G.I. JOE: CALL TO ACTION**

**EPISODE 2**

The Pentagon.

Two Days later.

" Are we online? "

General Hollingsworth's face appeared on the video screen before those gathered in the darkened conference room.

" Yes sir, " General "Hawk" Abernathy replied." We can see you."

" Ah. There we are. Sorry we couldn't do this face to face, Hawk. I'm stuck here at this blasted NATO conference. Who've you got there with you? "

" 1st Sergeant Hauser, Codename: Duke," General Hawk replied, gesturing to the blond, square jawed young man sitting across the shiny black table from him." Master Sergeant O'Hara, Codename: Scarlett, Sergeant Wilkinson, Codename: Stalker and our resident cloak and dagger operative Snake-Eyes, name classified."

" Snake-Eyes? " General Hollingsworth drawled." He the one that doesn't talk? "

" That would be him, Sir." Duke spoke up.

Snake-Eyes folded his arms and stared at Scarlett. She stared back. She was pretty sure he was smirking under that mask.

" Okay, what have you got? " Hollingsworth inquired." Sgt. O'Hara, I understand that you and Snake-Eyes had an eventful night in Kurvistan? "

" Yes Sir." Scarlett answered." I went undercover, posing as a representative of the Kurvistan Government, looking to purchase weapons from the arms dealer known as Destro."

" And? "

" He's definitely aligned himself with COBRA. Their ninja Stormshadow was there, acting as his muscle. Things went sideways pretty quickly and Destro managed to escape."

A small picture of Stormshadow appeared in the lower left hand corner of the video screen.

General Hollingsworth slipped on his glasses as he squinted at the image.

" So what's the connection? Why does COBRA send one of their top operatives to a weapons deal like that? "

" Sir? Sergeant Stalker, here," the African American Sergeant said." COBRA appears to be expanding to all corners of the globe. Stormshadow may have been there to help gage the possibility of their organization gaining a foothold in the region."

" A ruthless terrorist organization expanding, aligning themselves with the world's largest arms dealer," the gray haired General sighed." I don't like this one bit. General Abernathy, how soon can your new unit be ready to go? "

" Very soon, General," Hawk replied." We have a core group of operators ready to go, led by Sergeant Hauser here and more are entering training at the PIT as we speak, Sir."

" Sergeant Hauser, who in your unit is battle ready? ", asked Hollingsworth.

" Scarlett, here." answered Duke." Stalker, Snake-Eyes, along with Ripcord, Roadblock, Breaker and Wet Suit. A second team is being assembled, Sir."

" And this unit is comprised of members from all U.S. Military branches, General Abernathy? "

" Affirmative, Sir."

" And tell me again the codename for this daring, highly trained special missions force of yours? "

" G.I. JOE, Sir." Hawk said proudly.

" Alright, Godspeed to all of you. Something tells me we're going to need G.I. JOE sooner rather than later."

" Wherever there's trouble, we'll be there, Sir." Duke said earnestly.

XXXXXX

Somewhere in the jungles of South America.

A COBRA MORAY attack boat sliced through the murky green waters of the river under a rain forest cover. Two COBRA EELS, the terrorist organization's answer to the U.S. Navy SEALS stood watch at the aft of the vessel, assault rifles at the ready.

Destro stood behind the pilot, hands on hips, watching as the boat approached a huge cobra carved out of the rock of a sheer cliff face, it's open mouth the entrance to a tunnel.

The boat traveled through the tunnel for what seemed to be a mile. The channel led into a large underground harbor, where a small flotilla of different craft all bearing the red COBRA insignia floated calmly, waiting for action.

As the gunboat arrived at the dock, Destro stepped off to see a small legion of blue uniformed COBRA troopers, some marching in formation, others working on armored vehicles or loading equipment and supplies onto some of the boats.

As he approached the long spiral staircase, a man in a brown uniform and body armor approached. His left eye was covered by a patch.

" Heard you had a bit a trouble the other night eh, Destro? " the Australian spoke.

" Major Bludd," Destro said." I didn't think I'd see you again."

" Oh yeah, mate. I've signed on with this COBRA outfit. I know a good thing when I sees it. These blokes is goin' places. I like their world view."

" Bah! ", Destro laughed." You are a filthy mercenary, Bludd. You could care less about politics. How much are they paying you? "

" A lot, ol' boy. And I may be a filthy mercenary, but it's no worse than being a filthy gun runner, eh? "

Destro backhanded him, sending Bludd to the pavement.

" I am much more than a mere _gun runner_ and do not forget it! " Destro snapped.

As Destro reached the top of the staircase, he was met by a beautiful, raven-haired woman wearing spectacles and a sleek black outfit.

" Baroness." he said, almost breathlessly.

The woman slowly approached Destro. She kissed him, then broke away and slapped him.

" I see you haven't forgotten about North Africa." he chuckled.

" He's waiting for us." was all that she said in an eastern European accent, turning on a heel.

They made their way down a long corridor and she led him into a large throne room. A huge throne began to slowly turn towards them. It was shaped like the head of a striking cobra, it's hood flaring.

Seated on the throne was a man in a navy blue uniform with gold epaulets. The red COBRA emblem emblazoned across his chest. He wore a blue helmet and a smooth, featureless silver face plate.

" Dessssstro." he hissed in a raspy voice.

" Cobra Commander."

" Why are we not millions of dollarsssss richer? "

" There was no deal.", Destro replied." It was a trap by what appeared to be American agents. Although I'm sure Stormshadow has informed you of the events already."

" American agentsssss. The quessstion, isss: were they there for you or for COBRA? "

" Both are equal possibilities. I have made myself an enemy of many governments the world over and COBRA's operations of late have not been what one would call _subtle_."

" No matter," Cobra Commander stood." The world will know the name of COBRA sssoon enough, and it will tremble in fear at it'sss very mention! "

Destro folded his arms. In the short time that he had known Cobra Commander he seemed to make some sort of ominous boast like that at every meeting.

" Perhaps you should inform Destro of the progress of _Project Payday_." the Baroness offered.

" Ahahahahahahaha! " Cobra Commander laughed maniacally." Dessstro, we are going to become very rich, very quickly! "

" I am independently wealthy." Destro scoffed." What else is in this _Project Payday_ for me? "  
" Power! ", the Commander called." Once complete, we will have the power to bend any country to our will! Even as I sssspeak, the final piecessss of the puzzle are falling into place! "

XXXXXX

Somewhere in the Middle East.

A Jeep roared across the sand dunes, up one, and down another, while the early stages of

a sand storm pelted the vehicle's three occupants.

They rolled up to a small encampment. Three tents were surrounded by an assortment of vehicles and armed men.

The three men emerged from the Jeep, their faces covered to protect themselves from the swirling sand.

A man with an AK-47 slung over one shoulder nodded and pulled back part of the tent to allow them inside.

Two of the men unwrapped their heads to reveal the fact that they were identical twins, save for the fact that one of the men had a scar on the right side of his face.

The third man lowered his hood to reveal that his face was still covered by a gray mask.

A small, elderly man sat on a stool, smoking from a hooka.

" Ah, welcome infidels," the man coughed in Arabic." A little joke."

" Do you have-" one man began.

" What we've come for? " his brother finished his sentence. They spoke with a British accent.

" I do." the old man replied in English as he reached up and slid a metal suitcase across the top of a crate.

He took another hit from the hooka pipe.

" Do you have my money? " he coughed again, exhaling smoke.

" Indeed we do." spoke Tomax as his brother Xamot picked up the case.

" Firefly, pay the man." said Xamot as they stepped aside.

The masked man drew a pistol with a silencer attached. He fired twice.

The old man fell backwards off of his stool.

Tomax leaned forward, and with a heavily gloved hand, he waved a Geiger counter over the case.

" It's hot. Gentlemen, we have plutonium." he said.

The twins wrapped their heads and stepped back outside. Firefly reached inside of his tunic and retrieved a ball of C-4 plastic explosive with two wires and a small clock embedded in it.

He tossed the ball into the tent, then followed the others outside. As their Jeep roared back across the sand dunes, the encampment exploded in a massive fireball.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	3. Chapter 3

**G.I. JOE: CALL TO ACTION**

**EPISODE 3**

The Persian Gulf.

3 days later.

The COBRA MORAY hydrofoil bounced over the waves, driven by a COBRA EEL. Three more EEL members manned the .50 caliber turret gun and the two rear machine guns.

Firefly sat in the cockpit beside the driver, communicating with the Baroness via video conference.

" Firefly, tell me you have the package." she called as her face appeared on the small in-console monitor.

" We have it and are en route to the rendezvous point," Firefly responded." E.T.A. Twenty minutes."

" I believe we have company." Tomax called as he tapped Firefly on the shoulder.

" U.S. Navy patrol boat off the port side." Xamot reported, still holding the metal briefcase that contained the plutonium.

" _Unidentified military vessel, this is the United States Navy_," the radio crackled." _Cut your engines and prepare to be boarded_."

" Lose them! " Firefly shouted.

Captain Doug Mitchell stood on the bridge of the _U.S.S. Carpenter, _as one of his crew members stood beside him peering through high powered binoculars.

" They're not stopping, Captain." the Seaman reported.

" Senior Chief, get a boarding team ready." Mitchell ordered.

" Aye, aye, Sir." Senior Chief Petty Officer Hector Delgado replied as he quickly left the bridge.

" Who the hell _are_ these guys? " inquired Mitchell.

" They're flying a black flag with a red symbol on it," the younger Seaman reported." I can't be sure, but the symbol looks like a cobra's head."

" A cobra? What the hell country is that? "

" I can't identify the uniforms, Sir, but there appear to be two frogmen manning the rear weapons."

" Tell them to stop or we'll blow 'em out of the water. Then get us the nearest air support."

" Aye aye, Sir," the communications officer replied as he quickly keyed the microphone." Unidentified military vessel, stop immediately or you will be fired upon. Do you understand? "

" Let them have it! " Tomax called.

" Nothing must stop us! " he and his brother shouted in unison.

" COBRAAAAA!!! " the EEL's screamed as they fired the rear machine guns.

Mitchell and the crew on the bridge ducked for cover.

" Return fire! Now! ," he shouted." And expedite that air support! "

The Navy patrol boat returned fire from the .50 caliber machine gun on it's bow.

" Call in the Rattlers! " Firefly shouted at the radio.

Senior Chief Delgado led the other four men in his team to the aft of the boat where the short range Zodiac inflatable boat waited to be launched.

The four men in desert camouflage fatigues climbed aboard the small launch and awaited further orders.

" What's the deal, Senior Chief? " asked Petty Officer Rivera.

" Yeah," said Seaman McCoy." That doesn't look like any gunboat I ever seen around here."

" I don't know, but when we sink 'em, we can ask whoever's left." Delgado replied as he hopped down into the boat after the other three.

" Captain! " the radio man shouted on the bridge." We've got two bogies inbound! They're not ours, that's for sure! "

Two dark blue COBRA Rattler jets swooped down out of the sky. One made a low pass over the cutter, strafing it with machine gun fire.

" Get down! " Senior Chief Delgado shouted to his crew.

The second jet unleashed a missile which struck the middle of the boat. A huge fireball erupted into the late afternoon sky.

" Launch! Get us out of here! " Delgado shouted.

The Zodiac was released from the ramp at the rear of the patrol boat.

" Mayday! Mayday! " Captain Mitchell shouted into the mic as the bridge filled with black smoke." We are under attack from unknown aircraft! "

" That should do it! " Xamot laughed as the MORAY pulled away from the scene.

" No! Make one more pass with the Rattlers! " Firefly shouted." Make sure we sink that boat! "

The small launch raced after the MORAY, the boarding team firing with their M-4 carbines.

The EELs released a volley of gunfire in their direction.

Rivera and McCoy were both struck. Rivera slumped over, blood spilling from a hole in his forehead just below his helmet. McCoy fell overboard, a second later he resurfaced, floating

face down in the small boat's wake.

" Oh God! No! " screamed Seaman Jones as he piloted the boat.

Delgado drew his Colt 1911 and screamed angrily as he emptied the clip at the MORAY. One of the EEL's tumbled off into the water.

One of the Rattlers banked and fired at the small launch. The second Rattler made a pass at the burning _Carpenter. _Suddenly,a U.S. Military jet emerged from the clouds followed closely by a second.

" Slipstream, I've got the one on the left," called the pilot of the Sky Striker." You take the one on the right, copy? "

" Roger that, Ace," the pilot of the Conquest replied." Yo JOE! "

The Rattler on the left raced back up through the clouds, the second jet stayed low and banked over the water.

The Conquest banked after it. Slipstream fired two heat seeking missiles. They struck their target easily. The plane exploded and splashed down into the sea.

" Yeah! " Delgado shouted." Get 'em! "

" Eagle 2 to Nest. Splash one bad guy! " Slipstream called into his radio.

" We can't outrun their jets! " Xamot called." Break out the SCUBA gear! "

The Rattler broke into the blue skies above the cloud bank. The Sky Striker raced after it.

As the Rattler suddenly dipped, two more appeared and headed straight for Ace's jet, firing their machine guns. He climbed sharply as they flew past on either side of him.

" Eagle 1 to Nest, I have three bogies up here." he called.

" _Uh Roger that, Eagle 1. We're launching Eagles 3 & 4_." replied the _U.S.S. Flagg_.

" That's okay. I can handle them. Just wanted to let you know."

He banked and swooped down behind them. His targeting system locked on the closest Rattler. He fired a missile and it exploded just as the first jet had.

A tone sounded and Ace checked his radar to see that he had another Rattler behind him as well as in front. The jet behind him had locked onto his Sky Striker.

Just as the COBRA pilot was about to launch a missile, Slipstream's Conquest flew in behind him and fired.

Bullets pierced the fuselage and a fireball exploded from the jet as it dropped into a flat spin towards the water below.

" Yahtzee! " Slipstream called out triumphantly as the COBRA pilot ejected.

The two American pilots now had the COBRA plane on the run.

Meanwhile below, Firefly and the Crimson twins had donned their SCUBA gear. They leaped overboard from the speeding hydrofoil.

The EEL manning the rear machine gun left his post to gear up. The gunboat slowed as the pilot also slipped on his breathing apparatus, this allowed the small launch to catch up to the MORAY.

The third EEL unleashed another quick burst from the .50 cal turret gun. Two rounds struck Seaman Jones in the chest and he collapsed as the small craft collided with the rear of the gunboat.

Senior Chief Delgado leaped onto the hydrofoil and barreled into the three EEL's sending all four men tumbling backward into the cockpit.

He smashed the pilot's head into the console as he simultaneously mule kicked a second EEL backwards, nearly knocking him off of the boat.

The third EEL grabbed Delgado in a choke hold and dragged him backwards. Delgado braced his boot against a compartment door and pushed off, knocking his attacker off balance, breaking the EEL's hold and causing him to tumble into his partner, forcing him overboard.

The pilot swung around with a pistol raised. Delgado rushed him, throwing him against the console. He pinned the EEL's hand against the controls as he pressed his forearm to the man's throat.

As the other EEL made a move for him, Delgado broke the pistol free from the pilot's grasp. He whirled and fired three times, all struck the EEL in the chest.

The pilot dropped to the floor, sputtering and choking. Delgado paused momentarily to catch his breath.

The third EEL attempted to pull himself back up onto the boat. Delgado shot him in the head.

He heard a scuffling sound and turned to see the boat's pilot, slumped beneath the console, smiling wickedly at him through bloodied teeth.

He pulled the pin on a hand grenade.

" Hail...COBRA..." he choked.

Delgado turned and launched himself off of the boat, plunging into the water as it exploded. As his head broke the surface of the water, he saw the _Carpenter _on fire, slowly sinking into the gulf as the two jets roared past overhead.

A torn COBRA flag drifted past on a wave.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	4. Chapter 4

**G.I. JOE: CALL TO ACTION**

**EPISODE 4**

_U.S.S. Flagg_.

Somewhere in the Persian Gulf.

Senior CPO Delgado sat in the small conference room, awaiting his debriefing.

He was numb. Nearly all of the _Carpenter's _crew had been killed, including her Captain.

A Marine MP opened the door and Duke stepped in, followed by Scarlett.

" Don't get up, Senior Chief," said Duke." You've been through enough."

" I wasn't planning to," Delgado replied." You guys ain't Navy Intelligence. What outfit are ya with? "

" We're part of a new counter-terrorism unit," said Scarlett." You can call me Scarlett, this is Duke."

" Whattaya want with me? " asked Delgado." I got no idea who those guys were. Do you? "

" Yes we do," Duke placed his hands on his hips." They're a terrorist organization and they're just about the biggest threat to the United States, and the World itself in the last 60 years."

Delgado leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair.

" Oh? Is that all? "

" Look, Senior Chief. We know this must be a difficult time..." Scarlett began.

" I just saw my boat sink and my Captain and all of my buddies get smoked. _Difficult_ ain't the word, sister."

" Can you tell us anything about them? " asked Duke." Did they say anything at all? "

Delgado leaned forward as he looked up at him.

" Yeah. One of their guys...right when he pulled the pin on the grenade...he said _'Hail COBRA'_. What's that mean? "

Duke flipped open a folder concealing Delgado's military records.

" I see you're highly decorated, a combat veteran. A credit to the U.S. Navy. We could use someone like you."

" I ain't interested, Army Boy. I just wanna know when we're gonna hit back these lowlifes who just killed my buddies."

" You want to hit back? " asked Scarlett, " Join our unit and you can help us bring these monsters down."

Delgado sat up and placed his palms on the table. He stared at his hands and exhaled slowly.

" Then count me in."

Duke rounded the table and extended a hand. Delgado locked eyes with him as he shook it.

" Welcome to G.I. JOE, Shipwreck."

" Shipwreck? What is that my codename or somethin'? "

Duke opened the door to the small room and Scarlett stepped out. Duke paused and looked back at him.

" Get your gear. You're on the next transport to The PIT."

They left and Shipwreck sank back in his chair.

" The Pit? ", he wondered aloud.

XXXXXX

Somewhere, deep within what appeared to be an oil platform, Tomax, Xamot and Firefly descended in an elevator.

The door slid open and they stepped out into what looked like a small apartment. The Baroness sat on a large white couch with a wineglass in her hand. She wore a silk bathrobe.

" What happened out there? " she asked, looking up at them over her thin, rectangular spectacles.

" A U.S. Navy patrol boat attempted to intercept us." Xamot spoke up.

" But we dealt with them." added Tomax.

" Did you really? " she growled, her anger rising as he stood." The United States Government knows that we are operating in the Persian Gulf! We once worked in total anonymity! Now, twice in a week we have been engaged by those who would seek to stop us! You fools! "

" It could not have been avoided." Firefly said calmly." We have your plutonium, the mission was accomplished."

" We lost four jets! Do you know how expensive those planes are? "

" Your grief over the deaths of their pilots is palpable." Tomax smirked.

" Not to mention, most importantly," The Baroness continued," the U.S. Navy will be sweeping the Gulf looking for whoever sank their ship! You have exposed COBRA before we are at all ready to strike! "

She threw her glass to the floor where it shattered.

XXXXXX

THE PIT

G.I. JOE Headquarters.

Somewhere in the Western United States.

The massive underground hangar was filled with U.S. Military hardware and vehicles. Blackhawk and Apache helicopters stood in a line next to a small phalanx of Humvees, battle tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, some were painted green while others had khaki paint schemes.

A green five ton truck with a covered bed rumbled through the entrance and abruptly stopped. The rear gate was dropped and a group of military personnel, all wearing different uniforms climbed down with large duffel bags.

A drill sergeant in camouflage fatigues stood watching with his arms folded across his chest, his Smokey The Bear cover pulled low over the mirrored sunglasses he wore despite the fact that the base was half a mile underground.

A masked Army Ranger stood beside him. He grunted.

" Whattaya think, Sarge? " he asked in a drawl.

" I seen worse, Beachead." the gravely voiced D.I. replied." I sure as hell seen better, too."

Shipwreck fell in beside a Marine as they made their way towards a small stage. The Marine was large and muscular, sporting a large mustache and wearing only a vest over his exposed chest, revealing a tattoo of the USMC emblem.

" Geez, ya jarhead, " Shipwreck chuckled." I know you boys are proud of your tattoos, but do you really have to go around with no shirt on? "

" Nobody complains." the big Marine replied curtly." And the ones who did are missin' a few teeth. You complainin'? "

" Just makin' an observation, friend. They call me Shipwreck. Well, they call me that _now_, anyway."

" Gung Ho." the Marine shook his hand." Looks like we all gave up our names, huh? "

" Aw, look at these maggots millin' around." the Drill Sergeant sighed. He quickly stepped up onto the stage, backed by a large American flag.

" Let's go you lazy dogs! " the Sergeant barked." Anybody not at attention in ten seconds is givin' me a hundred push ups right here! "

The group quickly lined up before the stage and snapped to attention.

He paced back and forth before the group, studying them, inspecting them. Finally he stopped and stared them down, hands on his hips.

" My name is Sergeant Slaughter. I am your drill instructor. From this point forward, you are no longer members of the Army, or Air Force or Navy or even my beloved Corps. You are now members of G.I. JOE! We are America's elite counter-terrorism force. We never give up! We stay 'til the fight's won! We will fight for freedom, wherever there is trouble and we will fight over land and sea and air! Can I have a YO-JOE? Sound off!"

" YO-JOE!!! " the recruits barked back.

" You men and women have been hand picked by Uncle Sam to defend our nation and the world from any and all threats to freedom and democracy and believe me, there are plenty! Sergeant Beachead? "

Beachead stepped onto the stage and pressed a button on top of a small projector. A beam flashed from the projector and spread into a floating hologram of the red COBRA symbol.

" Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the symbol of COBRA. They are a deadly terrorist organization, the likes of which the world has never seen. They've tried to fly under the radar, but due to the outstandin' work of G.I. JOE agents, we've gathered some disturbin' intel. They are global, well funded, organized and ruthless. They have their own navy, air force and infantry, not to mention their special forces units. They're plannin' somethin' big and in case you haven't heard, they've already fired the first shot. The media reported that pirates attacked and sank a U.S. Navy patrol boat in the Gulf, killing the entire crew except for one."

He stared, almost imperceptibly at Shipwreck, who stood at attention at the front of the group.

" The truth," Beachead continued." is that COBRA agents attacked that boat and killed our sailors. We are entering a brand new war, people, and we will not lose! Five minutes and then head to your quarters

before training begins. Fall out! "

The group stood down and began to mill about as they picked up their bags.

" You were the one who survived that attack in the Gulf, aren't ya bro? ", asked a soldier who had been standing next to Shipwreck." We all heard about that. Name's Footloose."

Shipwreck nodded.

" Shipwreck. And if it's all the same to you fella, I don't wanna talk about it."

The others watched as he shouldered his bag and walked off towards the living quarters.

XXXXXX

_The U.S.S. Flagg._

Duke finished buckling his flak jacket as he and Scarlett strode across one of the huge aircraft carrier's lower decks.

" You think they're ready? " asked Scarlett, slinging her crossbow over one shoulder.

" They're ready." Duke answered abruptly.

They joined a gathering of Joes who were suiting up near a Sea Knight helicopter.

Roadblock, the hulking gunner sat inside of the open door of the copter, cradling a modified M-60.

" Cheer up, Duke. We're about to have some fun." he smiled.

" If we do things right, COBRA won't be having any fun." Stalker said as he buckled a gun belt over his wet suit.

Wet Suit popped the clip into his .45 and slipped it into it's shoulder holster.

" Amen to that."

Ripcord pushed past Roadblock and hopped down from the helicopter.

" Ropes are good to go, Duke."

Breaker blew a bubble as he strapped a pack to his back containing a water tight PC notebook.

" Yeah, let me at 'em, Boss! "

Snake Eyes stoically stood nearby, his hands clasped in front of him.

" Remember, this is a recon mission." said Scarlett." This could just be a regular old abandoned oil drilling platform. Keep your wits about you."

A platform ascended from below with a lone figure in fatigues standing on it. As it locked into place, he stepped off and approached.

" SHARC's are ready, Duke. Loaded and good to go." he said, giving a thumbs up.

" Thanks, Torpedo." Duke replied as he slipped on his helmet." Wild Bill, how's the bird? "

A mustached pilot wearing a flight suit, cowboy hat and mirrored shades poked his head out of the copter's side door.

" Hell, she's been ready to go while y'all been standin' out here jawin'." he replied with a Texas twang." Let's load 'er up. This tub's makin' me seasick."

Roadblock, Ripcord, and Breaker climbed into the copter and buckled themselves in, while Scarlett, Stalker, Wet Suit and Snake Eyes approached the platform.

Duke stood beside the helicopter and watched as the four stepped onto the platform and turned to face him.

" Be careful." he called." Yo Joe."

The four Joes saluted him as they began to descend to the deck below.

" Yo Joe! " they responded in unison.

He returned the salute, then climbed into the copter and slid the door shut. The helicopter began to rise on it's own platform up to the flight deck.

Minutes later, the helicopter lifted off from the deck of _The_ _Flagg _and roared off towards the setting sun. In the dark waters below, four SHARC flying submarines rushed below the waves toward what appeared to be an abandoned oil platform.

Though they didn't say it, each Joe knew that they were headed for more than an oil platform. And they all knew that they weren't going to find it abandoned.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


End file.
